We might not be able to stop the passage of time, but Dr Raffi Gugasyan and the Healthy Ageing research team may have found a way to slow the progress of something else—the detrimental, biological process of ‘inflammageing’.
Inflammageing is the chronic build-up of low-grade inflammation in your body over time.
It doesn’t just accompany ageing; it speeds it up as we get older, increasing the risk of age-related conditions like heart disease, arthritis, and type 2 diabetes.
For some time now, the team has focused on understanding exactly what it is that causes inflammageing.
We know, for example, that when we’re young, our immune system is rich in ‘Naïve B cells’ which protect us from infection, enhance the work of vaccines, and help keep us healthy.
Over time, these beneficial B cells are transformed into harmful ‘Aged B cells’ which act to weaken our immune system and trigger chronic inflammation.
The breakthrough from Raffi and his team was the discovery that certain key biomarkers, called ‘cytokines’, are released as B cells age—and that one or more of these cytokines are responsible for triggering the development of overactive Aged B cells that fuel inflammageing.
It’s a very exciting insight that could transform how we approach ageing in the 21st century, paving the way for therapies that target Aged B cells, which ultimately slows or prevent the impact of inflammageing.
With their findings recognised as a strong candidate for future treatments, Raffi and his team are working on securing intellectual property rights and partners to collaborate on the next phase of work: turning this cutting-edge discovery into real-world treatments that promise not just a longer life, but a healthier one.
Want to know more?
To learn more about this pioneering research and how you can support the next phase of this work, get in touch with Shannon O’Brien, Major Gift Specialist on 0409 357 307 or via shannon.obrien@burnet.edu.au.
